Investigators on Monday were trying to locate the owners of 29 German Shepherds removed from cramped quarters at the Ridgefield Park Animal Hospital.

In all, 40 dogs were removed from the facility by the SPCA on Sunday after a complaint was made by a neighbor, said Rich Siniscalchi, an investigator with the Animal Cruelty Task Force at Bergen County Prosecutor's Office.

Many of the dogs were young – including one who was just five months old – and were kept in cages in crowded conditions in what appeared to be a boarding kennel at the Main Street site, he said.

Eleven dogs were returned to their owners and the rest were taken to the Bergen County Animal Shelter & Adoption Center in Teterboro, where they are being evaluated, Siniscalchi said.

The animals were found in cages in the basement and back of the hospital, which was closed, and in the backyard, officials said. Officers from the SPCA who responded to the scene found small crates with three full-sized dogs inside and one with an adult dog and six puppies. Three dogs were running loose in the backyard, they said.

The hospital’s veterinarian was called and came to the scene to let the investigators in but he claimed to have no knowledge of the boarding situation and referred authorities to the building’s owner, said Siniscalchi, who did not have the name of the owner.

Siniscalchi said it is unclear whether the kennel was allowed in town, he said. The dogs at the shelter were being examined by veterinarians on Monday and the SPCA was trying to assess whether they had owners.

A receptionist who answered the phone at the animal hospital said there would be no comment on the matter.